View report page

86
Having written a fairly lengthy preamble last year, it is not
my intention to prolong the agony unnecessarily and 1 propose to
stick to broad principles as details of the individual services which
make up the School Health Service as a whole are dealt with at
some length in the body of this report. The measure of the
success of any service such as this is, that less and less treatment
should be required as a result of more and more examinations,
and looking back over past reports, one cannot help but notice
the great decline in the number of children requiring treatment
with the passing of the years. This of course has enabled more
preventive work to be undertaken and I am glad to be able to
report that nearly half the children attending school in Bromley
have now had hearing tests completed using the pure tone
audiometer which was only acquired during 1955. Critics of the
service may say that the numbers of children found with defects
are comparatively small, but there are distinct advantages in
having the assurance that your own child's hearing is normal, and
when a defect has been detected, it is to the advantage of all
concerned, that the facts of the case should be brought to light.
At this stage my conscience begins to prick me about that
promise not to be too long winded, but I cannot conclude without
a word of praise for the really united efforts of the staff, both
professional and lay, on behalf of the health of the school children
of Bromley.
1 should also like to thank the Borough Education Officer
and the Head Teachers and their staffs for their continued good
will and co-operation which make such a material contribution
towards the smooth running of the service.
Finally, but by no means least, I have to thank the Chairman
and Members of the Education Welfare Sub-Committee for their
never failing interest, sympathy and kindly understanding which
are of such importance in assisting to resolve the many human
problems which are inevitably encountered during a year's work.
H. B. C. CARTER-LOCKE.
Medical Officer of Health